Etude
by MiraAi
Summary: A collection of FMA (Both 2003 and Brotherhood) one-shots. Will contain spoilers. Chapter 1: Aria: "...when I start to think like that, I remember your brother's favorite piece of advice, and I remember that I have legs, and I will keep moving forward." Alphonse/OC


Well fanfiction….I'm back. I've been on hiatus while I did the college thing...and now I am ready to get back to writing.

This is will be a collection of any Fullmetal Alchemist trash that pops in my head. They might be related, they might not. Who knows? I certainly don't. I am inspired by lots of things.

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 _ **Etude**_ : A short musical composition that is designed to improve technique or demonstrate the skill of the player.

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This first one is an Alphonse/OC with an extremely light hint of Winry/Ed.

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All Aria remembered was darkness and then a light. It was so bright; her vision had to adjust before she was able to make out the gate in front of her. Sitting at the base of that gate was a person with long blonde hair.

 _I recognize that person, don't I?_

Everything was so foggy, Aria's vision blurred, and darkness enveloped her once again.

 _Am I dead…?_

Aria's eyes opened to see the face of a nurse standing above her, reading numbers off one of the machines.

"No, you lost a lot of blood, but you managed to survive."

"Alphonse…" The girl said, her voice cracking from the lack of use.

"...Elric? He's being seen by a doctor too. Edward is with him," The nurse elaborated, "Get some rest, and don't try to move around, your wounds are still healing."

Aria woke again the next morning to the sound of metal clanking on the tile floor of the hospital. She opened her eyes slowly, knowing full well who entered the room. Edward Elric stood on the side of the hospital bed with his hands in his pockets, smiling.

"I heard the nurses say you were awake, how do you feel?"

Aria smiled, "I see you survived Fullmetal."

The blonde alchemist scratched the back of his head and chuckled. "Yeah, I even got Al's body back. Crazy, huh? You got injured pretty badly when we were fighting against the barrier."

He recounted the battle between him and Father, how Al sacrificed himself for Ed's arm, and how Greed's sacrifice enabled them to defeat Father for good.

"I sacrificed my ability to perform alchemy to get Al back. I thought about when you told us that when it came to dealing with the Truth, matter wasn't the only thing that could be given in exchange for an alchemic reaction."

The woman alchemist nodded, looking down at her hands. "How is Al?"

Edward nodded, "He's being looked at by some doctors. Everything's a little difficult for him right now, but they say pretty soon he'll be released."

A soft smile graced Aria's face, thoughts of the young Elric boy in her head. "That's good, then you two can go back home."

"Do you remember the day that we first met?" Ed asked suddenly, sitting in the chair nearby.

Memories from that day appeared in Aria's mind. "We were so young, huh?"

At the time, Aria was a young alchemist research assistant for the state, only 14 years old. Back then, she lost her ability to speak. Adapting to this new situation, she picked up sign language very quickly. Aria worked in the department looking into transmutation circle designs; an interpreter was assigned to her side and spoke the words she signed. Everyone heard rumors of the 11 year old kid who recently became a state alchemist, and with the help of a mutual friend, it didn't take long until their paths crossed.

"This is the research lab on transmutation circle designs. Many of the researchers here are investigating stronger, but simpler circles."

Aria glanced up from her desk to take a look at the soldiers who entered the lab room.

Aria's blue eyes met the dark eyes of Roy Mustang. The girl signed a greeting toward the ambitious colonel, and glanced at his companions.

"Edward and Alphonse Elric, this is Aria, one of researchers in this lab. One day she might even be a state alchemist"

One of brothers was in a suit of armor, and the other was a small boy with long blonde hair. _Quite the pair..._ Aria thought, putting her pen on the table.

"Can I help you, Mustang?" Aria signed, the interpreter giving the colonel much more respect than the young alchemist would have.

"Just showing these two around. Ed here is a new state alchemist."

Aria sighed and picked her pen back up to get back to her research. Mustang interrupted her train of thought once again.

"I think you would find their story very interesting, Aria."

The three alchemists glanced at Mustang. Aria set her writing down once again, turned to the interpreter and told her to grab lunch for a little while.

Aria grabbed a large white pad of paper and started writing.

 **"Human transmutation?"**

Ed frowned, "How did you know?"

Aria pointed to Alphonse and Edward's leg and wrote **"Equivalent exchange"** on the notepad. She also pointed to her throat and mouthed the same words scribbled on the paper. As expected, no sound came out.

"Aria can't speak, so she uses sign language and an interpreter to communicate."

"Was your voice your toll?" Alphonse asked.

Aria nodded, and Mustang ushered the boys out to continue their tour of the facilities.

Shortly after that day, the Elric brothers came to see the mute alchemist again.

Aria was surprised as both of them signed their names. Their signing was clumsy, but in just a few short days, they picked up a few words to try to communicate with her.

The interpreter was dismissed again, and they questioned Aria about her transmutation attempt.

She told them about her past, how she studied science to appease her parents, and how she dreamed of becoming a famous singer. She told them of the accident that her sister was in, and how her sister could no longer walk. She told them about her sister begging Aria to use alchemy to give her back her legs, the hours spent pouring over alchemy books, and she told them about the night she saw the truth.

"Truth decided that my exchange would be my dream, and when I awoke, my voice was gone." Aria's hands moved slowly so that the brothers could understand.

"What about your sister?" Al asked.

"She died," Aria signed, frowning. "She could use her legs, but truth took her feet as payment for our sin. Instead of getting automail, she threw herself in front of a train."

In exchange for her story, they told the girl theirs and their plans to find the philosopher's stone to obtain their old bodies back. They agreed that day that the silent alchemist would assist them in their research and eventually the girl traveled with them on some of their adventures.

Edward's voice brought Aria out of her memories. "You know, I still don't know why you were working on the design of transmutation circles when you could perform alchemy without one," Ed said, putting his hands behind his head.

"The military put me in a department where I could excel. I didn't flaunt my ability like you did, shorty."

"HEY WHO ARE YOU CALLING SHORT?"

Aria laughed, and Edward crossed his arms, pouting as usual.

"I better get back to Al, he's probably wondering where I am." Ed stood up and stretched, making his way toward the door. He grabbed the door handle and paused for a moment.

"Aria, you make Al very happy. Please don't break his heart."

 _Break his-?_

Aria's heart fluttered in her chest as she thought of the youngest Elric brother. Alphonse Elric was an incredible person and the thought of him reaching his dream made her smile. Even if it took the rest of Aria's life, she wanted make sure that all his dreams come true. She wanted him to eat everything on his list, rescue as many cats as possible, and maybe one day he would fall in love, just like he dreamed. He deserved all of those experiences and more.

The young woman was scheduled to be discharged from the hospital the next day. Winry brought some of her clothes and assisted her in getting dressed so that her wounds wouldn't reopen.

"So you've never seen what Al looked like before he was in the armor suit, huh?" Winry asked, brushing Aria's hair.

"No, I haven't. It's kind of exciting, I suppose."

The mechanic observed the female alchemist with narrowed eyes, "I think he is excited too. He's been asking about you since we got here."

"I guess I'll stop by his room before I head home," Aria said. "Let him know I'm okay and all."

"No way! You're not just going to walk in there. We have to make this more romantic!"

"Winry, I don't think-"

"Nonsense! I'll come up with something great! Leave it to me!"

 _That's what I'm worried about…_ Aria thought, sighing.

"Aria, how did you get your voice back, anyway?" Winry asked, sitting next to her companion.

"Scar returned my voice using a philosopher's Stone," Aria said frowning. "I tried to get it to Ed and Al, but it was unstable. Scar said I should get my voice back, so that I can stand up for those that couldn't speak."

"And he was able to get your voice back from the gate?"

Aria nodded, smiling at Winry. "I don't know how, but he was able to do it."

Winry walked over to her bag and pulled out a long piece of fabric that probably used to clean tools. She tied it like a blindfold around Aria's eyes.

"Perfect! Let's get you outside!"

Winry led her to a seat somewhere outside of the hospital. Aria could feel the warmth of the sun on her face and hear the trickle of water from the nearby stream.

"No peeking, alright?" The automail mechanic said, "Or I'll have to get my wrench."

Aria nodded, feeling fearful for her life. She saw the way Winry used that wrench on Edward.

 _And she loves him! What would she do to me?_ The thoughts that crossed Aria's mind scared her.

Aria sat in silence for a time until she heard the squeaking of wheels. She assumed it to be a wheelchair.

 _That's right; Al is having a hard time using his muscles. It would be difficult for him to walk..._

The wheelchair came to a stop in front of Aria, and she heard Winry speak softly.

"When you're ready, Al."

Aria swallowed, adrenaline coursing through her system.

"A-Al?"

"Hello Aria," Alphonse said softly, as if speaking too loud would break something.

"Are you nervous?" She asked, smiling.

"Of course, what if you don't like the way I look?" The teenager said. Aria tried to imagine the frown on his face.

"I'm nervous too," Aria admitted. "I'm nervous that now that you and your brother aren't looking for the philosopher's stone that I will not be a part of your lives anymore….but...when I start to think like that, I remember your brother's favorite piece of advice, and I remember that I have legs, and I will keep moving forward."

A silence swept over the couple after Aria's confession. She felt a tug on the blindfold and the fabric fell down her neck. She opened her eyes slowly, allowing them to adjust to the light.

She was greeted by golden orbs filled with uncertainty.

Her hand reached toward Al's face and touched it gently. "Al?"

"It's me, Aria, Alphonse."

The walls broke down, and the young woman couldn't stop the tears from spilling over.

"Aria, please don't cry. I didn't mean to upset you."

"No, no, these are happy tears, Al. You really got your body back. Now you can eat Winry's apple pie and all of the other things on your list!"

Alphonse laughed. "What about you Aria? Are you going to go after your dream to become a singer?"

Aria shook her head, "I'm going to use my voice to speak up for those that can't. Maybe Mustang will make me an ambassador or something."

"We have perfectly good legs now, right?" Alphonse said grabbing the young woman's hand.

Aria nodded, "Yes, so, we can continue to walk our own path forward."

"Together, Aria."

"Together, Alphonse."

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Annnd there it is. Now that I'm back to writing, I may update Heroes and Heroines….maybe. Have to get back on the horse. I've been brainstormimg a Criminal Minds one shot and maybe an InuYasha fic as well….but I'll finish those first before I start posting chapters. Anyway, review if you liked it, authors love seeing your words. :)

 _ **XO**_

 _ **Mira**_


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